Synthesis of visible light emitting self assembled Ge nanocrystals embedded within a SiO{sub 2} matrix

Journal Article · Wed Feb 15 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3688023· OSTI ID:22038869

Hernandez-Hernandez, A; De Moure-Flores, F; Santoyo-Salazar, J; Melendez-Lira, M ^[1]; Rangel-Kuoppa, V T ^[2]; Plach, Thomas ^[3]; Zapata-Torres, M ^[4]; Hernandez-Hernandez, L A ^[5]

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1. Departamento de Fisica, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional, A.P. 14740, C.P. 07300, Mexico, Distrito Federal (Mexico)
2. Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler Universitaet, A-4040 Linz (Austria)
3. Christian Doppler Laboratory for Microscopic and Spectroscopic Material Characterization, Center for Surface and Nanoanalytics, Johannes Kepler Universitaet, A-4040 Linz (Austria)
4. Centro de Investigacion en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, Unidad Legaria IPN, Calzada Legaria 694, Col. Irrigacion, 11500 Mexico, Distrito Federal (Mexico)
5. Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas del Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Edificio 9 U.P. Adolfo Lopez Mateos, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, C.P. 07730 (Mexico)

As-grown light emitting self-assembled Ge nanocrystals (Ge-NCs) embedded in a SiO{sub 2} matrix were produced via a sequential deposition process of SiO{sub 2}/Ge/SiO{sub 2} layers employing a reactive radio frequency sputtering technique. Obtained Ge-NCs show a crystallographic phase, the proportion, size, quality, and specific orientation of which are determined by the oxygen partial pressure. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicate that the size distribution of Ge-NCs is reduced and centered on about 8 nm when higher oxygen partial pressure is employed; the formation of Ge-NCs is corroborated by transmission electron microscopy measurements, and their sizes are consistent with estimates from PL measurements. Resistivity measurements are explained by a near neighbors hopping process, with specific features depending on the Ge-NCs' size. The features of PL and resistivity measurements indicate that there is no appreciable dependence of the number of interfacial defects on the oxygen partial pressure.

• OSTI ID: 22038869
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 111; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
CRYSTAL GROWTH
CRYSTALS
DEPOSITION
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
GERMANIUM
INTERFACES
LAYERS
MATRIX MATERIALS
NANOSTRUCTURES
OXYGEN
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON OXIDES
SPUTTERING
SYNTHESIS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY